Barah, Sudan
Barah
بارا | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Barah Location of Barah in Sudan | |
| Coordinates: 13°41′39″N 30°22′1″E / 13.69417°N 30.36694°E | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| State | North Kurdufan |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Barah (Arabic: بارا), also Bara, is a town in Bara district in North Kordofan, central Sudan, in northeastern Africa. Barah is located approximately 59 km north-northeast of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and it is the state’s second-largest city.[1] The city lies at a strategic road junction connecting Khartoum with El Obeid.[2]
History
[edit]Sudanese civil war
[edit]Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a civil war between the internationally recognized government of Sudan controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival Government of Peace and Unity led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
On 5 July 2023, RSF forces attacked Barah, with the violence continuing into the early hours of the following day. Armed residents unsuccessfully tried to prevent them from entering the town, where they looted the market, shops, pharmacies and homes, and seized private vehicles.[3]
On 2 January 2024, an RSF unit attacked Barah and seized the police station. The raid followed the killing of three RSF members by local resistance groups the previous week, which had increased tensions in the town and nearby villages.[4]
Since October 2025, Barah had been controlled by the RSF.[1] Barah was strategically important because the RSF had used it as a base for drone attacks on El Obeid.[2] By 31 October 2025, the humanitarian situation in North Kordofan remained alarming, with nearly 36,000 people displaced from Barah in just one week, according to the IOM.[5]
In March 2026, Barah was the scene of fighting between the SAF and the RSF. Supported by airstrikes, the SAF recaptured the town from the RSF on 5 March, killing at least 51 people.[6][1][7] The fighting displaced tens of thousands of civilians.[2] On 16 March 2026, the RSF retook Barah in a dawn attack.[8]
On 25 July 2026, Darfur governor Minni Minnawi said that the Sudanese army and allied forces had seized Barah and nearby areas from the RSF. He claimed that the operations had caused heavy RSF personnel and equipment losses, although neither the army nor the RSF had confirmed the reported gains at the time.[9]
External links
[edit]- "Barah, Sudan" Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Sudanese Army Recaptures Bara: How Far Will It Shift the Balance of Power in North Kordofan?". alestiklal.net.
- 1 2 3 "Sudan army retakes Bara as Kordofan clashes kill 51 civilians". dailysabah.com.
- ↑ "Fierce battles continue in Sudan capital, Kordofan and Darfur". Dabanga Radio TV Online. 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ "Reports about 'intense airstrikes' on RSF sites in central Sudan". Dabanga Radio TV Online. 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ "Noon Briefing". United Nations. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Sudanese army retakes Bara, secures el-Obeid in North Kordofan". aljazeera.com.
- ↑ "Country policy and information note: security situation, Sudan, July 2026 (accessible)". GOV.UK. 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ "RSF seizes strategic city in Sudan's North Kordofan, town on Chad border RSF seizes strategic city of Bara and border town Karnoi in Sudan offensive". Sudan Tribune. 2026-03-16. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ Abdelrheem, Adel; Demir, Sahin (25 July 2026). "Sudan official says army captures Bara, 3 other areas in North Kordofan". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
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